4 Healthy Eating Tips From a Formerly Heavyweight Food Lover

Then, I did 25 minutes of meditation and 30 minutes of yoga. Then, I had a bowl of sorbet. After all of that, I sat there and wondered why the heck I had eaten the entire pizza—it wasn`t even good pizza—especially when I used to weigh 63 pounds more than I do now, and I`m still aiming to lose 19.

So why DID I eat the WHOLE pizza? Simply put, I used to be a fat kid. Because of that, I still have a fat kid inside me, and sometimes, it’s easy to forget that that is not who I am anymore.

If you’re like me and you’ve started, or want to start that healthy living, weight loss journey to a better you, you might have moments where the fat kid inside rears her big mouth and tries to sabotage the new you.

Here’s how I manage (most of the time), to successfully shut down my "inner fattie" and get back on the bandwagon when I’ve fallen off.

1. Don’t ignore the voice. Distract it.

Simply put, if you were once a curvaceous vixen who still loves food, trying to ignore the voice that’s telling you to eat the whole pizza or that pint of ice cream, with sheer force of will, is not going to work. Instead, distract the voice.

Pop on your favorite home yoga video, get on the mat, or simply do your favorite Restorative yoga pose for 10 minutes or 10 breaths. By the time those 10 breaths are done, you’ll be feeling so good, you’ll want to continue your practice instead of walking to the fridge or the nearest convenience store.

Stuck at work, or yoga not doing it for you today? Practice yogic breathing or turn to the closest hobby for some much needed distraction and R&R.

2. Practice the M word—moderation.

If distracting the voice didn’t work, go for moderation. Is your foodie calling for ice cream? Give it one scoop and call it a day. Don’t walk to the store and buy the whole pint; I promise, you WILL eat it all (I did).

Do, however, walk to the ice cream store and buy a scoop, or go to the convenience store and get a bar of your favorite frozen treat. The craving will be satisfied and, best of all, you’ll have killed the real motivator (BOREDOM), by going out.

3. Learn to say “YES.”

Don’t always say no to sweets, salts, or whatever it is that brings you the happiest foodie comfort. Denying your desires isn’t healthy in the long term, because chances are you’ll have one bad day and end up binge eating everything in sight (case in point, the pizza).

If you’re at a birthday party, say yes to the slice of cake. If it’s Friday night and you’re feeling like a TGIF drink, have one. If your partner wants to go see a movie, get the popcorn. Small indulgences every now and then will help us to stay on track for the long haul.

Remember, whatever changes you decided to make in your life are just that: LIFE changes. You can’t say no to everything for the rest of your life, so why are you doing it now?

4. Forgive yourself.

Sometimes, despite our best intentions, we eat that pint of ice cream, drink that bottle of wine, or eat the entire pizza.

The most important thing we can do if this happens is to forgive ourselves. Don’t agonize over your actions and think of the “what ifs” of having taken that specific action. What ifs don’t matter because you can’t take them back, and nor should you want to.

Sometimes, our cravings and our bodies get the best of us and that is ok. As long as we know that it is a one-time slip, and that our yoga practice the next day will include a few extra Sun Salutations or a detox flow, we can feel at ease with what we’ve eaten or drank, and in turn feel at ease with ourselves.

When it comes down to it, yoga is all about finding peace with who you are, and loving yourself.~Kat Clark

And this means loving every aspect of yourself, even those “oops” moments of overindulgence.

If we don’t learn to shake off the slips, indulge the small desires, and moderate our lives to allow for happiness, we will forever be walking the “two steps forward, one step back” path…especially when it comes to living a healthier, more balanced lifestyle.

So, if you’re like me and you ate an entire pizza today or drank a whole bottle of wine for Valentine’s Day, that’s ok, because you know that you are wholly a wonderful person and that all of your decisions go into making you that person.

And you know, as all yogis do, that tomorrow is a new day to take chances, cherish moments, and indulge in the small pleasures of life—just don’t forget those extra Sun Salutations!

by Kat Clark - Born in Canada, Kat began her healthy living journey six years ago and enjoys finding new ways to stay motivated and active, her newest passion being yoga. Currently, Kat lives and works in South Korea as an English teacher, and children's Autism centre volunteer coordinator. Check out her website and Instagram.

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